|
Danger
of the Depths
|
The new Adventure Team set, Danger of the Depths was released in 2002. Included in this set are: GI Joe with Adventures Of flocked head, 2 piece wet-suit, diving fins, mask, air hose, air tank, shark, projectile, dog tag, knive with sheath, bouyancy compensation vest, computer and disk, submersible delivery vehicle.
This set has its roots before the Adventure Team. In 1966, the GI Joe Frogman (#8050) used a diving suit very similar to this one. Many other sets used the same suit, including 1967's Air Sea Rescue (#7825) . In 1969, Danger of the Depths (#7920) appeared, featuring this diving suit, fins, knive with sheath, shark, air tanks and hose, mask, a spear gun and an underwater vehicle (with working motor.)
(Picture from Derryl DePriest's excellent reference, "The
Collectible GI Joe")
Then, in Shark's Surprise (#7940), a larger blue Sea Sled was added, with treasure chest. In 1970, the Adventure Team got into the act with Danger of the Depths (#7412).
(Picture from Derryl DePriest's excellent reference, "The
Collectible GI Joe")
This set seems to differ from the original non-AT set by the addition of a buoy, and probably just Adventure Team branding. However, clearly, this is the inspiration for the new set introduced by Hasbro as the second Adventure Team set to hit shelves since 1976.
The new box shows a picture of another Danger of the Depths (#8031) set, made for Atomic Man.
I'm impressed with this new Adventure Team set. I can't tell you how good it feels to see the Adventure Team logo on shelves again. With last winter's Secret of the Mummy's Tomb, Hasbro re-introduced the Adventure Team to test the concept out. I guess it was fairly successful. I bought four myself, one for each of the unique head-sculpts available.
Let's talk about the details:
|
The
Figure
|
While I've always been a fan of the head sculpt used in the "Adventures Of" sets, the Mummy's Tomb set used three new heads flocked with various colored hair as well as their "Adventures Of" flocked head. The fact that this set seems to be available only with the same head as the old Adventures Of sets is a bit if a disappointment when Hasbro has so many many heads to choose from. Flock a few of the gorgeous new ones, and you'd have a better seller.
The figure is the new Super-Articulated Joe, and he's using a new version of Kung Fu Grip! This is a version of the more robust Palitoy Kung Fu Grip that was larger and less prone to breakage. Molded in the same plastic that most modern GI Joe hands are made of, these should last longer than any previous KFG hands!
Like all of the new modern Adventure Team revisions (as opposed to the Timeless Collection Adventure Team Joes) Danger of the Depths Joe has a reproduction in gray plastic of the Adventure Team dogtag:
m 
|
The
Suit
|
The wet-suit seems to be from the Perilous Rescue Timeless Classic set released this past year. This means it's meant to fit the Timeless Classic (or original Joe) body. This means the sleeves are a bit short, but otherwise, the suit is quite nice. It has a plastic AT logo sewn into the breast. The zipper is black, very much like the original suits. The fins are fine.
The floatation compensator is the same one used in the Underwater Demolition from a few years ago, and used elsewhere since. Only slight paint difference sets it apart. The hose and tank are modern, the gauges recolored versions of previous ones. Same goes for the knife and sheath.
Warning: Many collectors have reported that the thread used to sew the zipper onto this suit has reacted with the rubber the suit is made from causing melting. I have not noticed this on my own but others have widely reported this. Another warning. These suits erode if too much dust is left on them.
|
The
Computer
|
This computer is a recolored version of one that came in an accessory set in 2000 or 2001. The major difference is that its screen has an homage to one of the biggest GI Joe fans around, Barry Kay, who, among other things, writes Adventure Team articles for Lee's Toy Magazine, and is a great contributor to the fan community via the Sandbox. (GI Joe newsgroup.)
The text reads:
PROMPT:>
ENTER COORD.MISS-->>
HEX., Alpha., HEX -- Con
user input = Barry Kay
Field Action imminent
The computer is a rugged military luggable, (and apparently submersible) which works with the background story about a computer tossed overboard near Spy Island. The screen panel opens up revealing a keyboard and trac-ball. A panel on the front opens to reveal slots and an openable CD bay with white CD. The back is quite detailed, but not painted. A brush of wet black paint will fill in the vent holes, and some silver paint will work on the vents. But then realism was never the goal of the Adventure Team.
|
The
Submarine Delivery Vehicle
|
This is a nice piece. I don't recall having seen it before. I believe it was designed specifically for this set. In AT yellow (YES!) with black handles, it's a gorgeous piece. It has a bubble for a direction meter, and a firing missile from the front.
|
The
Shark
|
The shark was the most-used animal in vintage GI Joe sets. It was quite small. The shark that comes with this set is large, and fairly detailed. I've seen better detail in Discovery-type learning stores, but they were usually heavy and expensive. For a hollow-molded shark, this one is pretty good.
|
The
Box
|
This box is gorgeous. Using a painting of the set (similar to the Mummy's Tomb box) it is reminiscent of old GI Joe sets, and great advertising for the contained product. The story is typically Adventure Team, and refers to Spy Island, an old perennial favorite. Click the image for a larger one and read the story!
Spy Island - the secret base for saboteurs and master thieves - has plagued the GI JOE ADVENTURE TEAM for years. Now, the team has received word that the international crime organization, BLACK DRAGON, has stolen a key computer and is using it to control the U.S. military's satellite network. Without control of the network, the world could be plunged into chaos! An undercover ADVENTURE TEAM member has infiltrated Spy Island, stolen the device back, and dropped it offshore at a pre-arranged location.
Now the ADVENTURE TEAM must get the computer from the ocean bottom, using the new submersible delivery vehicle. GI JOE glides swiftly to the location. He scans the terrain with the onboard Radar/Sonar and regulates his depth with the buoyancy compensation vest. But there's danger ahead -- the waters around the island have been stocked with sharks that are kept mean and hungry to ward off intruders. It's a perilous job for the ADVENTURE TEAM.
The box boldly displays the AT logo. The bottom shows the details of the working parts. The side shows the set in action.
|
Assessment
|
Much of this set is rehashed, (the suit, diving gear and computer) and re-used from other sets, but it was the easy availability and lack of design required that made this set possible, so in that respect it really is an homage to the Adventure Team version.
|
Overall Rating
|
  |
|
|
